


The Place I'll Return To Someday

by Psyren



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Iwatobi Swim Club - Fandom, 学園アリス | Gakuen Alice
Genre: And a bloodbender, Angry Nagisa, Angst, Crossover, Death, Drama, Dramatic babies, F/F, F/M, Gakuen Alice guys with Haru, Haru's a waterbender, I'm Sorry, I'm mean, Iwatobi Gakuen Alice crossover, M/M, Memory Loss, Mind reader Makoto, Multiple ships, Mystery, NOTPs, Narumi sensei is the new Makoto for Haru, Otps, Prostitution, Reincarnation, Rin wants Haru, Slight RinHaru, Slow Build, The swimmers all have abilities, They are all my adorable babies, Watergun fight with actual guns, bottom haru, depressed haru, first fanfic, gay babies, hopefully happy ending, i'm trash, money issues, rare ships, sourin, will add characters as i go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5207957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psyren/pseuds/Psyren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would Rin do if Haru was the one who suddenly upped and left?</p><p>Rin and Haru get into a fight with Rin trying to force his feelings onto the freestyle swimmer but is promptly ignored. Taking the scene the wrong way, Makoto runs to the beach and goes for a swim to try and clear his head when a storm hits and Makoto falls into a coma. Falling into a deep well of depression, Haru sells his body to help pay the doctors looking after Makoto but when it all starts becoming too much, Haru's parents make a surprising return and he's whisked away to a place known as Gakuen Alice where the real trouble starts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rin’s eyes twinkled dangerously. “You never do learn, do you Haru.” He murmured in that low voice that once made Haru’s heart flutter as his chest tightened, making him go weak at the knees. But today was different. This wasn’t the same Haru that lived for Rin and he made it clear by looking away and walking off. 

“I won’t swim for you. I only swim free.” Haru closed his eyes and smiled slightly as he tipped his head back. “I promised him.” He murmured as the memory of a green eyed, gentle giant with the soft smile that made Haru feel like he was high and very happy and he just melted inside.  
But Rin clearly didn’t like that answer. Footsteps were fast approaching behind Haru but they were ignored. Until his shoulder was roughly grabbed and he was spun around.  
He had barely a second to register the anger and determination written across Rin’s face before both of the shark’s hands were on his shoulders and slammed him into the metal mesh fence now behind Haru.

“No.” He said firmly with a hard expression, lips pressed together thinly.  
Haru’s eyes widened the slightest as he stared at Rin. But an image of Makoto smiling up at him from the bottom of the stairs reminded him why he wasn’t allowing himself to be lead by Rin so easily as Rin spoke again.

“You will swim for me.” He said in a tone that should’ve left no room for arguing.  
Haru’s eyes found the floor, brow furrowing slightly, not out of sadness, fear, or even anger, but out of frustration, his fingers lightly tightening on the fence behind him, the metal softly groaning beneath them. 

Bright green eyes grew dark, widening at the sight of Haru pinned to a fence by Rin who seemed to have no sense of personal space. “....Haru?”  
Haru’s eyes widened and he looked over, lips parted to speak but the words died in his throat as he saw Makoto’s back, a sight that he usually loved to watch, disappear down the street as he slipped into the shadows before vanishing from Haru’s sight completely.

Haru stared after him before his eyes fixed back on the ground, definitely angry this time.  
“Haru.” Rin said, drawing his attention again.  
His grip on the fence tightened further as his anger grew and became directed at Rin who had not only completely ignored Makoto but had the audacity to expect Haru to dignify him with a response. Haru lifted his hand, releasing the fence and the movement actually surprised Rin, not expecting Haru to do anything. 

His eyes widened further when Haru gripped his forearm tightly and pushed him back with enough force to make him stumble and once he’d lost he’d footing Haru walked forwards, making him walk back to keep himself from going to the ground. “I. Love. Makoto.” He said firmly before adding, “More than I fear you.”  
Rin’s eyes widened a bit further, his resolve wavering and it was clearly seen in his eyes before it all vanished, just like that. He glared at the stoic faced Haru. Tearing his arm from his surprisingly strong grip, he left. “Tch.” He growled quietly at the sound of Haru running off, obviously going off after Makoto.

By time the next day rolled around, Haru was completely exhausted. He’d gotten absolutely no sleep as he’d spent the entire night searching for Makoto without any success. His eyes were sunken with dark circles beneath his now stormy blue eyes. They showed up clearly on his pale skin yet his expression remained the same. Passive and disinterested. The weather wasn’t helping either. The sky was dark, strong winds and heavy rain but Haru didn’t even seem to notice, moving through the streets in a daze. 

Sooner than he realised, he was back down by the beach, standing in the water as it lapped at his legs, trying to drag him into the water. He stared out at the waves, eyes unfocused but seeing. The storm was really picking up now to a point where it was getting too dangerous to even be outside. He stood for a bit longer before he made his way up the beach again but for some reason, he turned back and his eyes widened at the sight of a familiar head of mossy brown hair that caught his eye and he almost instantly zeroed in on it. “Makoto,” he breathed and his feet was moving before he could even think about it. 

Nagisa had been on his way back from Rei’s house, using his jacket to try and keep the hard and heavy rain off of him but he stopped trying when he saw Haru running down the beach. “Haru-chan! Stop, Haru-chan! Wait! It’s not safe!” Nagisa’s voice cut through the storm as he chased after Haru who just reached the edge of the water.  
Shielding his eyes from the unrelenting rain, Haru tried to locate something amongst the unforgiving waves. His eyes, normally a calm blue, were currently as wild as they seas before them. They widened as Nagisa’s cries faded into the background when his eyes briefly locked with a pair of shining, panicked green ones before they were swallowed up again. 

“Wait! It’s not safe to go alone!” Nagisa had located the cause of Haru’s irrational behaviour. “HARU-CHAN!”  
“Hold on, I’ll save you.” He mumbled softly but determinedly as he took off down the beach. His shirt was discarded in the sand and Haru dove into the waves, carving a pathway through them with his fingertips, his body following through in a well practised motion as he powered through the rough water.  
“Tch, Haru-chan wait!” He yelled. Following suit, Nagisa tore his shirt off so it wouldn’t drag him down and swum out after his senpai.

Haru’s mind was a wreck with only one clear and coherent thought among the chaos of panic and the memories. 'Makoto'.

-

It all happened so fast. The fighting, the swimming, the drowning. Nothing made sense, it was all a blur and the next thing Haru knew, he was in an ambulance gripping the hand of an unconscious Makoto as Nagisa cried heavily into his shoulder. Haru couldn’t focus on anything, even Makoto’s face, which his eyes were trained on, was an unsteady image in his mind. 

He briefly zoned in again when they were in the hospital, doctors fussing over them and before he knew it, they were seated outside Makoto’s room. His gaze drifted to a clock on the wall. Seven hours of the day had gone by and it was another hour still before Makoto’s doctor came out. Haru had no clue what happened next because as soon as she said, “Tachibana-san is in a coma-” he blacked out.


	2. Haru-chan?

-

It had been three weeks since Haru had shut himself away from the rest of the world. Every day Nagisa, Rei, Gou, Ama-sensei and Coach Sasabe went and visited him, leaving food, flowers and gifts on his doorstep in the hopes he would take them. However, they remained untouched and as the days passed they all came to a point where they wilted, broke and died. It was another three weeks before finally, a thin and paler than normal Haru emerged from his house. It was a huge shock to everyone when they came in to see Haru doing laps and none of them knew how to react and so, unable to think of what to do around Haru, they tried to continued like normal, as if he hadn’t locked himself away for six weeks though they were treaded carefully and gave him space. None knew what happened to Haru in those six weeks and none were willing to ask.

Even though they tried to go back to normal, Haru wasn’t making it easier but they couldn’t blame him. Haru didn’t say a word and the only time they saw him was at the pool. All of them realised just how hard it was to understand Haru without Makoto around and how much they actually relied on Makoto to help hold them all together. Spirits were very low, and it didn’t help with a tournament coming up either. But with the way things were going, competing looked like just another fantasy.

Haru went home again well after school closed and the others had gone home and he went and sat on his bed. The silence in the house was sharply broke by a loud buzz of Haru’s phone. He slowly checked the message and cringed as though he’d been stabbed. It was a reminder from Gou that they had a swimming practise with Samezuka. Rin’s face flashed into his mind then Makoto. Haru gasped and gripped his shirt as his chest tightened painfully to a point where he doubled over. 

He gripped his phone tightly to his chest as he forced himself to breathe again, to calm down. ‘Don’t worry,’ He thought as his grip on his phone tightened. ‘I’ll be fine…’ His hand shook before he flung his phone so hard at the wall it broke a hole in it before he roughly gripped his hair and tugged harshly at it as he cried, sounding like a wounded, heart broken animal. ‘I’ll be fine…..’

-

“Are you really okay with this, Haruka-senpai?” Gou asked Haru quietly as she snuck a glance up at her brother who was in the stands, glaring at Haru.  
The man didn’t respond as he put his goggles on and go into his starting position.  
‘READY’  
‘SET’  
The buzzer went off and Haru went in and those watching, their expressions went from ones of anticipation and excitement to ones of confusion and pity. Haru’s swimming was nothing like it used to be, even when he was practising at school. The way he was swimming here looked like it was hurting him. And badly.

When he was done, it was the worst anyone had seen him swim ever and the pedestal of perfection they had placed Haruka on instantly started to crumble. He tore off his goggles and swim cap before dragging himself out the water. He dumped his goggles and walked off, leaving everyone in a stunned silence.  
Gou whipped her head around and found her brother was gone as well. She looked at the ground. ‘Haruka-senpai, onii-chan…’ she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath before shaking her head and going to find Nagisa and Rei.

“Oi, HARU!” Rin yelled as he stormed after the freestyle swimmer but as usual, he was ignored. “Haru!! I’m talking to you!! Stop ignoring me goddammit!!” He grabbed Haru’s wrist, which to his surprise was actually really thing in his grip, and pulled him back, eyes narrowing at the rough, jagged skin he felt beneath his fingers. “What the h-!!!”  
Haru’s fist slammed into his jaw with such a force Rin actually hit the ground, stopping Rin’s questioning.  
He stared up at Haru in shock, holding his bleeding and steadily bruising jaw. He shuddered at the murderous but dead look in Haru’s eyes as tears fell down his cheeks, mixing with the water still on his skin. 

“Don’t ever, touch me again Matsuoka,” he hissed making Rin’s eyes widened a bit further. “And tell the others I quit and this time I mean it. Makoto’s not here to bring me back.” He muttered before he sprinted off, leaving a shocked Rin on the ground.  
When Rin’s brain finally kicked back into gear, he scrambled to get back to his feet.  
“Wait Haru! What do you mean again!! What happened to Makoto!?? HARU!”  
He stared as the other kept going, slowly sinking to his knees knowing he wouldn’t catch him. Rin felt his head starting to hurt badly as he tried to wrap his head around the now burning question of ‘What’s happening… Haru…?’ He suddenly fumbled with his pocket and whipped out his phone and quickly dialing.  
“Moshi moshi?”  
“Gou? Yeah, we need to talk. Now.”


	3. Makoto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto's POV

Makoto lightly jogged around the area surrounding the stadium in search of Haru. He had a bright smile on his face at the prospect of seeing Haru before they joined the others to celebrate. “Haru-chan,” He called as he ran. “Haru-chan where are you?” Makoto perked up when he heard Haru’s catchphrase.  
“I only swim free.”  
He jogged over in that direction. “Haru-” His smile instantly fell and he stopped and stared. Haru was pinned to the fence by Rin, their faces merely inches apart and Haru was making no moves to get away from Rin.

Makoto didn’t know why, but that upset him much more than he felt it should’ve. “....Haru,” He watched as Haru’s eyes widened and he quickly looked over to him. The amount of surprise on Haru’s face made the horrible feeling in his gut grow and before Haru could get a word out, Makoto had turned tail and ran. Even though Haru was faster than Makoto in the water, he had no chance of catching him on land, Makoto was just too fast.

Makoto shook his head as he ran, tears unwillingly blurring his vision as he roughly wiped them away. 'What am I getting so upset about? Haru’s not mine, he can be with whoever- what am I saying Haru wouldn’t do that with Rin, he wouldn’t l-leave me?' He choked on a sob. 'I’m such an idiot.' Wiping his face, he looked around for a place to help him calm down and soon enough, he found himself at the beach. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; steeling his nerves. 'The water won’t hurt me, don’t fight it, accept it and it shall accept you.' He found it ironic he was recalling Haru’s words but he brushed it off as he pulled his shirt, socks and shoes off before he made his way into the water.

He didn’t know how long he was in the water. Makoto took a few breaks so he could rest despite being incredibly restless to a point he missed sleep for swimming. As the new day rolled around, bringing with it a heavy storm, Makoto was well beneath the surface, swimming through a wreckage. However, once inside, he found he was unable to get out.

His eyes widened as fear and panicked kicked in. Makoto swum over to the door and tried to force the heavy metal door of the ship open, the pressure keeping it tightly shut. His lungs started to burn as he struggled against the door before he gave up and looked for another way out when fate decided to give him a hand. A strong current slammed into the ship and it collided with the cliff side. A lot of air fled Makoto’s lungs in a silent cry as he hit the walls of the ship before being exposed to incredibly rough waters. 

No sooner was he out, Makoto quickly forced his way to the surface and gasped before spluttering when more water was forced down his lungs. Tears ran down his face as he battled to stay above the water, panic and fear settling in completely as one urgent thought ran rampant in his head. 'I don’t want to die!'

He didn’t know how long he was tossed about, at the mercy of the sea but when his eyes locked with those blue ones he knew so well, some form of hope sparked within him again. “Har-!” He went under again before he managed to surface again. “HARU HELP!” He once again lost sight of Haru and the shore, and much to his dismay his body started giving out. Too exhausted and oxygen deprived to continue fighting he completely stopped, slowly sinking as the light of the surface begun fading away into nothing. '……. H...Haru…..'


	4. Nagisa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa confronts Rin

Gou, Nagisa and Rei were all crowded in Rin’s room with Rei carefully tending to Rin’s jaw injury, a solemn expression on his face.   
Rin’s glare sweeped over the two in front of him. Both very avoiding looking at him, Gou’s gaze cast aside, fixed on the window as Nagisa stared firmly at the ground, a look that didn’t suit him. “I’ll ask you again.” Rin murmured lowly, annoyance clear in his voice. “What the hell happened!” He snapped making everyone except Nagisa flinch.

Nagisa lifted his gaze to Rin, a deep crease in his brow making him look older and, much to Rin’s surprise, rather intimidating.   
“Tch.” Rin was getting sick of all the surprises today. “Well?? Spit it out!”   
Nagisa’s gaze sharpened and Rin froze as a strange feeling crawled down his spine.   
He suddenly felt very uncomfortable, confused and for the first time in a long time, he felt vulnerable. “Wh-What?” He dared to ask, his voice just above a whisper.  
“This is all your fault.” It was cold and hard and coming from Nagisa it felt like a slap to the face.

His eyes widened slightly before they narrowed. “How.”  
Nagisa scoffed and muttered to himself. “Why should I even tell you, you’ll only make it worse. Just like you always do!” The others jumped at him suddenly raising his voice in anger.   
Rin growled dangerously. “What the hell are you on about.”  
“You’re the one who said he’d never swim with Haru-chan again!” Nagisa yelled, getting to his feet. “Then you have the balls to go and demand he swim for you and be pissed off when he says no and ignores you! You pushed us away first! You can’t expect him to come back to you, he’s not a dog and he’s not yours!” Tears begun welling up in his eyes.

“Nagisa-kun,” Gou murmured.  
“I was there! I saw it all!” The tears were now rolling down his cheeks.  
Rin’s eyes narrowed. “Saw what.”  
“It was your fault Makoto ran away and now he’s in a coma!” He almost screamed and Rin fell dead silent.   
“..... what…”  
“You heard me! Because of you Makoto’s in a coma and it took six weeks before Haru even came out of his house and now because of you he’s quit swimming! And now we’re instead of with Haru-chan he needs us most!! Why can’t you just leave him alone!!”

Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at Nagisa. He sniffed and shook his head before he ran out the room. No matter what Haru said, Nagisa knew Haru needed someone. Makoto wasn’t there for him anymore and so he’d be Haru’s shield and most importantly his support. Just because Haru was stone cold and stoic most of the time doesn’t mean he was vulnerable. Nagisa knew that Haru had built up a very solid wall to protect himself and now that Makoto was one, that wall was going to start coming down. He couldn’t help but wonder just how far down the wall would come before the others, mainly Rin, noticed. He then shook the thought from his head. He needed to focus and find his senpai.


	5. Enter the Yamazaki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin tries to make up and Haru makes it worse

A heavy sigh left Makoto’s mother as she closed the door to the twin’s bedroom. The weight of everything had her feeling constantly exhausted. Her husband was overseas when Makoto was announced to be in a coma. Her husband was still overseas and she was trying to look after the twins while keeping food on the table. It was proving to be a very difficult job as she was also paying the doctors looking after Makoto.

Rubbing her hands over her face, she took a small breath, trying to keep herself together. Her thoughts and the quiet of the house however, were interrupted by a soft, almost hesitant knock on the door. “Now who on earth could that be,” she murmured to herself as she went and answered the door. “Ah, Haru-kun, what a surprise? What are you doing here so late?” Even though it was only nine.  
Haru didn’t look up at her and was silent for a moment before asking, “May I come in?”  
“Oh of course,” she stepped aside and ushered him in, shutting the door behind him. The pair made their way into the kitchen. “Tea?”  
“Water’s fine,” he mumbled quietly.   
She returned shortly with his drink and sat opposite him. “So what brings you here at this hour?”

A silence stretched between them. “..Haru?”  
The young man took a deep breath. “Iwanttohelpyouwithyourfinacialissues.” He said quickly.  
Mrs Tachibana was taken back. “H-Huh?”  
“Sorry,” he quickly apologised, lowering his gaze further. “I-I just know that paying Makoto’s hospital fees h-has been an issue,” he looked up with a sad, determined gaze as he continued. “And I want to help.” He said as Mrs Tachibana touched her fingertips to her lips in shock of the amount of emotion Haru was showing and his kindness.

“I-I can’t possibly say yes Haru, I mean, this is such a huge ask and I-”  
“No!” He yelled, bangs hiding his face. “Please! Let me help!”   
She watched as his frame lightly shook. “O-Okay,”  
“Thank you.”  
She went over and hugged him tightly.   
He gave her a halfhearted one back before they said their goodbyes and Haru left. Wiping his face, he steeled his nerves, his impassive expression returning to his face. Lightly clenching his fists he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Here we go,” he murmured. And the ravenette disappeared to the underbelly of Iwatobi.

-

Haru had always hoped his first time would be with Makoto. Whether he topped or bottomed, he wanted to lose both to the gentle giant. Yet here he was, lying on a bed with a stranger sweating and panting above him as he defiled Haru’s body. He screwed his eyes shut and turned his head away when the man tried to kiss him. He knew it was a drastic measure but it was the only way he’d be able to make a lot of money fast. It sickened him to the core but he kept reminding himself, chanting it in his head like a mantra, This is for Makoto…. Makoto….  
-  
The next day the boy appeared at the Tachibana residence wearing a long sleeved, high necked shirt to hide the marks from last night’s events. Countless men and women had taken him last night and he hated himself but he kept reminding himself why he did it. Haru produced the money and it brought his best friend’s mother to tears.   
Hugging him tightly again she thanked him repeatedly, tears wetting his shoulder.   
The man gave her a proper hug back this time before he pulled away. “I’m sorry, I do have to go. I will come visit again soon.”  
She nodded, wiping her face. “O-Okay. Thank you so so much Haru,”  
“....” He gave her a rare, soft smile in return. “My pleasure.” He murmured before he turned and walked away, hoping that he hid his painful limp.

Haru continued to walk and ended up along the waterfront. He stared at the water, ignoring the light reflecting off it’s surface. Haru didn’t feel himself slowing down until he came to a stop. A light breeze caressed his pale skin, blowing his bangs from his face. Haru closed his eyes and Makoto’s smiling face immediately appeared in the forefront of his mind. Haru-chan~ Haru made a choking sound and tightly gripped the front of his shirt tightly. “Makoto,” he whispered. A shaky smiled graced his lips. “I’m so sorry,” Tears rolled down his cheeks slowly as he sunk to his knees, one hand on the ground, holding himself up.

His body jerked with a sniff before he lowered his forehead to the ground, body starting to shake. “I’m so, so, sorry,” His voice became hoarse as he clawed slightly at the ground, gripping his shirt tighter as he begun to properly cry for the first time in a very long time.

People walked past the sobbing man, some giving him sympathetic looks, others looking at him like he was crazy while others offered to help but were promptly ignored. Until the last person he wanted to see found him during his jog.  
“Oi, Haru,”  
He froze. No no no, no go away I don’t want to see you no-  
Rin knelt beside him. “Haru? What’s wrong? Come on, get up, people are staring,”  
Making himself calm down and remember how to breathe, he lifted his head and sat on his knees, staring at Rin. His mask was back in place but that didn’t matter, Rin could see the tears stains on his cheeks.

“Geez, you’re a mess, what happened to you?” He asked, using his sleeve to wipe his face clean.   
The shorter male twisted away. “I’m fine.” He said coldly.   
“Tch. Obviously you’re not Haru.”  
“Leave me alone.” He pushed himself up and took a step before collapsing again with a sharp cry as pain shot up his spine, his back still very sore.  
“Haru!” Rin caught him and picked him up bridal style. “Shit,” he muttered. He looked around and begun jogging to Samezuka as Haru caved in, sobs wracking his body. He felt ruined.

-  
Rin sat on his bed and hugged Haru close. It was a few minutes before Rin broke the silence. “Haru, what happened?” He murmured quietly. “Please please please tell me,” he all but begged.  
“...... I can’t,” his voice came out in a broken whisper, lips trembling as his mask threatened to break.  
“I can’t,” He said it so quietly he wasn’t even sure the words left his lips.   
But thankfully, or unthankfully as Haru now had to speak, Rin heard him. “What, why?”  
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I just… can’t, I’m not, it’s just, I feel so horrible,” He whispered shakily.  
Rin gently squeezed him. “You can talk to me Haru. And you know it’s not your fault, you don’t have to feel bad-”  
“But I do,” Haru said, cutting him off. “You don’t understand Rin,” he said, beginning to find his voice. “It’s Makoto who got injured, yes I would be devastated if any of you guys got hurt but, I can’t bare the fact he got hurt so badly especially because of me!” He choked out.

Haru sat up and got off Rin’s lap.   
“Haru…” That was the most Haru had ever spoken to Rin all at once before.  
“He’s the closest thing to a family I have Rin and because of me I may lose that forever!” He yelled, standing up and beginning to pace.  
“Haru, I understand but-”  
“No Rin, no you don’t,” His voice was shaking, vulnerable and just so raw and full of emotion Rin felt his next few words die in his throat.  
“Imagine how you would feel if this happened to Gou, or if you lost your mother,”  
“Haru,” He started.  
“No Rin! You’ve felt this before when your father died you know the devastating feeling and how awful it is to be the cause of that!”

 

Rin felt himself get angry at that. “Hey! Don’t talk about my dad like that!”  
“But you know the feeling! Though you don’t know what I’m feeling! I have to deal with this my own way!”  
“Haru!”  
“The only way you would understand was if your mother and sister both died because of you-!”  
Silence abruptly fell over the room and Haru slowly brought a shaky hand to his cheek, lightly touching it and feeling something wet. Examining his fingers he found bright red blood staining them. Haru slowly lifted his shocked gaze to Rin who was absolutely livid.

He was breathing harshly as he lowered his hands, clenching them into tight fists beside him. “Shut the fuck up Nanase,” He hissed. “You don’t fucking know what it would be like if Gou and Kaa-san died because you. Don’t. Have any family.” He spat.  
Haru stared at him wide eyed.  
“I would do everything humanly possible to help them but all I’ve seen you do is mope. You don’t know what it’s like you have no right, to fucking judge me Nanase!!” He yelled, slamming his fist into the metal bedframe.  
Haru’s mind instantly went to last night’s events and his arms came up and he gingerly hugged himself, feeling self conscious as ever bite, bruise, scratch and ache seemed to throb as a dull, constant reminder. “You have no idea Rin.” He whispered.   
Rin’s eyes slowly lost their anger and widened a bit, wondering who this small, weak stranger was now standing before him. Was this really Haruka Nanase? He continued to stare as Haru lifted his head and there was a sharp intake of air from Rin seeing the light fade in Haru’s eyes. He opened his mouth again but before he could get another word in, Haru was once again out the door and before he knew it he had broken into a run through the dorms in Samezuka. Only to trip and land hard on his knees in front of a teal eyed giant.  
“.... Yamazaki…”  
“Nanase.”


	6. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke has a surprise for Haru

Sousuke reached down and pulled Haru to his feet as the male mumbled a thanks. He didn’t reply, still holding Haru’s upper arm as he looked over at Rin who came to a stop a few feet from them. Sousuke’s frown deepened as he watched Rin who’s face was slightly red and, no, it wasn’t anger in his expression. It was frustration and regret. Sousuke’s gaze drifted to Haru as Rin basically ignored Sousuke and was staring intensely at Haru who was looking away, blatantly ignoring him. Noting this, Sousuke subtly tightened his grip on Haru’s arm so he couldn’t make another break away.

“What happened?” He murmured to Rin who seemed to snap out of a one sided telepathic conversation with Haru.  
“I, he-  
“Nothing happened the concerns you Yamazaki.” Haru said and despite his cold tone, Sousuke was perplexed by the lack of bite his comments usually had. “Now let me go.” He hissed, startling Sousuke. “Now.”  
Sousuke stared at him and slowly peeled his fingers off of Haru’s arm.  
Haru muttered something and rubbed his arm,

There was a tense silence before it was broken by Rin. “Haru… Look, I, I’m really really sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean it-”  
“Shut up Rin. We both know you meant it. You wouldn’t have said it if you’d never thought it.” He spat making Rin look down and Sousuke glare.  
“What did he say, Nanase.”  
“That I have no family. And you know what, he’s right! Grandmother’s dead, parents are always gone and now Makoto is too-!”  
“Oi Nanase.” Sousuke said firmly making Haru turn his conflicted and broken glare on him.  
“What.” his voice was much quieter now.   
“Two things.” He said after examining Haru’s face. “Makoto’s not dead you idiot, stop acting like he is.” He snapped and watched with slight satisfaction as Haru’s eyes widened slightly. “And two… You’re parents are here.”

Haru’s breath caught in his throat as both his and Rin’s eyes widened. “.....what?” he whispered, voice trembling as tears welled up in his eyes.  
He nodded once. “Mm.”  
Haru’s eyes widened further and he was suddenly clutching Sousuke’s collar tightly. “How do you know!?” He yelled as the tears fell. “Sousuke tell me!!”  
The taller man gently took Haru’s wrists and removed his hands from his collar. “First calm down. I was busy visiting Makoto’s mother,” Haru shot him an odd, suspicious look which was ignored. “You’re not the only one who cares about Makoto,”  
He looked down guilty and his hands went slack in Sousuke’s grip.  
“And then your mother showed up looking for you and I said if I found you I’d pass on the message.”

They fell into silence before Haru hugged Sousuke. “Thank you.” He breathed before letting go. He looked up at Rin who looked heartbroken and guilty. He walked up beside him. “I’m sorry Rin.” Pecking the redhead’s cheek, he ran out of Samezuka to find his mother, wondering if his father was there since Sousuke didn’t mention him.

When Haru disappeared Sousuke looked over at Rin and held out his arms which Rin promptly fell into.   
Rin hugged his friend tightly, tears wetting the front of his shirt.  
Sousuke held him protectively and stroked his hair before kissing the top of his head and guiding him back to their room. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up, get something to eat and go for a swim.”  
Rin sniffed and nodded. “Th-That sounds nice.”

-

Haru was on edge the entire train ride, willing the train to go faster, fearing if he didn’t get there soon enough they would disappear out of his life. As soon as the doors opened at the stop in Iwatobi, Haru bolted like a dog out of the gates. He stumbled and he tripped along the way, bumping into people and mumbling breathless sorries. Haru pushed himself harder when his house came into view and he burst through the front door, slamming it open with a loud BANG!   
“Mom!” He yelled, panting heavily, face flushed with his hair and closed disheveled. 

A person looking like the genderswapped version of Haru was coming out of the kitchen and looked up with a smile. She was slightly shorter than Haru and had aged gracefully. Her smile made her eyes shimmer. “Welcome home, Haruka.”


	7. New Horizons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't say goodbye, they tempt fate.

Her warm voice, one he hadn’t heard in almost sixteen years, made what little composure he had dissipate and the tears returned full force. Smiling from her eyes, she held out her arms as Haru ran into them. 

Haru hugged her tightly and buried her face in her chest as sobs wracked his body. He sunk to the floor, legs giving out and she went with him, cradling his head as she kissed his forehead. “Shh, there there Haruka, it’s alright.”  
“Sorry we took so long son.” A deep voice murmured making Haru cry harder. His father, a tall man, about Makoto’s height and build, knelt beside them and hugged them both.  
No one moved or said anything, the only sounds filling the house were Haru’s sobs as his parents held him with content smiles.

Eventually, Haru calmed down, mostly because he was too exhausted and drained to keep crying. His mother stroked his hair and let him go as his father picked him up bridal style. They took him up to his bedroom and tucked him in.  
“Get some rest Haruka. We have some very important things to discuss with you when you wake.”  
The younger male just quietly nodded, half registering what was said before he gladly let his parents presence lull him to sleep.

-

When Haru woke, the smell of mackerel and pineapple were the first things to hit him. He slowly removed himself from the comfort of his bed before stumbling downstairs and his chest swelled with happiness at the sight of his parents, incredibly relieved this wasn’t a dream. His mother and father were back. He hugged them both and kissed their cheeks before sitting beside his father.  
“I figured you might be hungry.” His mother said, placing two mackerel fillets in front of him and a glass of pineapple juice before sitting next to her men.  
He smiled gratefully, emotions unhindered as he never knew how long they would be in his life and he wanted to, if they did leave again, have good memories of them, rather than just birthday and Christmas cards.

It was quite while Haru ate before his father spoke up. “Now, Haruka, unfortunately, we do have important business to discuss with you,” He said, becoming serious. While it did hurt Haru that they were here for work he expected it so he merely nodded.  
“Yes?”  
“We heard about the situation with the Tachibana’s,” his mother began. “And we know you’d do some pretty, well, reckless things to help,”  
He blushed sheepishly as he kept his gaze fixed on the table.  
“So we’ve decided to help them.” his father continued. “But unfortunately the situation isn’t…. ideal,”

This got Haru to look up. ‘So this isn’t just for work?’  
Noting his son’s confused expression, Haru’s father continued to speak. “There is a boarding school for people with special abilities.”  
“Gakuen Alice.” His mother clarified and Haru was glad he wasn’t eating or drinking because he’s sure he would’ve choked.  
“As in the magic prodigy kids??” He asked, bewildered.  
They both nodded. “Yes.”  
“But, what has that got to do with this??”  
“You’ve been enrolled.”  
“Why!? I’m not anything special..” He trailed off.  
“Haru,” his father started. “Your swimming, why do you think it feels so natural for you to be in the water,”  
“Well, I, uh,”

Haruka’s mother smiled. “Haru, you’re a waterbender.”  
He stared at her like she had just grown two heads. “No, but, wouldn’t I be able, to, you know, control water then??”  
“It’s complicated Haruka but it’s decided. You’re joining Gakuen Alice by the end of the week and you will be joining the dangerous ability class.” His father stated.  
“What why!?”  
“They don’t know the extent of your abilities,” she said gently. “This is just so they can get a feel for it. You will have people to help you learn how to use the water.”  
“But, water isn’t meant to be used, it’s-”  
“Hush Haruka. Now is not the time for that. You going straight into the dangerous ability class is also a condition.” His father said, silencing him.  
“A condition?”

“Yes. All the money the government provides to the family will go straight to the Tachibanas and if you are able to ‘prove you are an exceptional alice’ as they put it, they will get their healers to heal Makoto.”  
His eyes lit up. “R-Really?”  
They both nodded. “We’re really sorry that our brief time together can’t be happier,” his father started.  
“But this will surely lead to a happier ending.” His mother finished with a smile.  
Haru begun to smile as well before it vanished. “Wait.. b-but what if I’m not good enough?” He stammered, worry returning.  
His father ruffled his hair and his mother covered one of his hands with hers. “Haruka, you’ve always been an exceptional child, excelling at everything you do.” She kissed his cheek. “You’ll do just fine.”  
His smile returned albeit a little shaky. “O-Okay.”  
They both nodded. “Mm hm.”  
“Alright, now that that’s settled, let’s get packing.”

-

“WHAT!?” It was an in unison hollar from Nagisa, Gou, Ama-sensei, Momotarou, Ai and even Rei.  
Haru nodded, sneaking a glance at Rin to find him slack jawed and Sousuke frowning beside him before his gaze returned to the floor. It was the day before Haru’s departure. Breathing slowly, he lifted his head again.  
“YOU’RE LEAVING!?” Nagisa shouted. “WHERE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?” He demanded.  
“.... Gakuen Alice.”

Nagisa, who had gotten all up in Haru’s face, standing on his toes, rocked back onto his feet and took a step back. “Wh-What?”  
A heavy silence fell over the group as Haru nodded. “I’m leaving for Gakuen Alice tomorrow and I won’t see any of you again until I leave at age 21.” He looked around the group without turning his head before dropping his gaze to the ground.

“What the fuck Haru.” Rin hissed making Haru’s eyes snap up to meet his which were practically blazing. Rin strode over and grabbed his collar and pulled him up so they were nose to nose. “You can’t fucking do this Haru you can’t fucking leave especially after only giving us one day’s notice!!”  
“You did,” he mumbled.  
“What.”  
“You left after giving us one day’s notice.” He said a bit more firmly, meeting his gaze with a fierce one of his own. “You have no right to be so angry.”  
Rin’s expression slowly relaxed as he watched Haru. His tone wasn’t angry or frustrated but reflecting the sadness in his eyes. Rin’s grip went slack and he let his hand drop back to his side. 

“W-Wait, so w-we won’t get to swim t-together again?”  
“I’m afraid not Nagisa.” He said sadly as he watched the blonde stare at the ground, shoulders shaking. He looked back up. “I won’t be swimming with any of you again until I leave the academy and even after then we might not swim together. It hurts me as much as it hurts you, but I’m doing this for Makoto, for all of us.”  
“B-But Haruka-senpai, that’s hardly logical,” Rei stammered.  
Haru gave a soft, sad smile. “With Makoto still being hurt like this, I’m not going to be able to swim properly nor will I be able to keep my emotions in check. I will continue to hurt you guys,” he said with an apologetic gaze at Rin. “And I can’t do that. This way, Makoto will get better and so will I and I can come back and rekindle my relationship with you all.”

“...... Why are you even going to Gakuen Alice, you’re not an alice!”  
“Apparently I’m a waterbender,” he murmured after a moment.  
Rin gave a dry laugh. “Of course.”  
“What?”  
Haru nodded. “I’m going to learn how to use it. I’ll, I’ll write when I can, and I’ll send postcards, and,” It got everyone’s attention, the raw emotion starting to seep into Haru’s voice. “A-And so I have something to keep you guys close, I made one of these,” he said sheepishly, pulling out a scrapbook filled with photos of all of them from all sorts of occasions. “And I want you guys to all sign it. A-And so you have something to remind you of me,” He pulled out keyrings.

He gave the penguin to Nagisa, the butterfly to Rei, the orca to Gou to give to Makoto, the bird to Gou, the small book filled with quotes to Ama, a stag beetle to Momo, a different sort of butterfly to Ai, a grey orca to Sousuke and a shark to Rin. “I have my own.” He said, showing them the dolphin one. He looked back down. “.... I’m really, really going to miss you guys,” he mumbled and Nagisa tackled him into a tight hug, catching him off guard.

“Don’t go Haru-chan!” He begged. “Please!”  
Haru hugged him back tightly. “I’m sorry Nagisa.” Next to join the hug was Rei, followed by Gou and Ama then Momo and Ai.  
Rin stared in disbelief of this entire situation before he joined the crying hug, all of them trapping Haru in the middle.  
Sousuke walked over and placed a hand on Haru’s head. “Good luck. And stay safe…. Haru.”  
Haru looked up at him and offered a slight smile through his tears. “Thanks… Sousuke.”

-

And that’s how they all came to standing outside Haru’s house with the addition of Haru’s parents and the Tachibanas, seeing Haru off. There was more crying and smiling, trading numbers and well wishes before Haru, adjusting his new tie, climbed into the back of the car. “Don’t think of this as a goodbye, think of it as an… I’ll see you later.” Flashing them one last rare smile, the door was shut by a man named Narumi.  
“Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of Haruka-san.” He climbed into the front of the car and drove off, Haru waving out the window until his friends and family were out of sight saying, "I'll be back before you know it".  
Taking a deep breath, he faced forward again. ‘Alright Nanase. Here we go.’


	8. New beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru's first day at Gakuen Alice

Haru looked out the window and stared at the giant gates of Gakuen Alice.   
Narumi spoke with the guard before they were allowed in.   
Haru continued to examine his new surroundings, snapping out of his daze when Narumi called his name.  
“Haruka-kun?”  
The teen in question looked over and his eyes widened when Narumi lightly gripped his chin and pulled him in for a kiss and before Haru could push him away, dark spots appeared in his vision and everything started to spin before it all went black.

Narumi sighed slightly with his unreadable little smile playing on his lips. He opened the car door and picked Haru up, murmuring a small sorry before a taller figure stepped into his line of vision.   
“I’ll take him.”  
He sighed again. “Sure sure.” He handed him over to Persona who held the boy bridal style.   
Person examined Haru from behind his mask. “So, this is Nanase Haruka.”  
“Mm. I assume you got the memo with his parents’ wishes?” Naru asked as he followed Person.  
“Mm.”  
He frowned. “You know you’re not allowed to just erase his memories Persona, that’ll just make the situation worse. You have to alter it how we were told to.”  
“Tch alright.”

They entered Persona’s room and laid Haru on the bed. “Why are you still here.” Person asked Naru coldly.   
“To make sure you do what you’re meant to.” He said, matching his tone.  
Persona sneered before turning back to Haru. Grabbing a few potions and alice stones, Persona begun his work on the sleeping Haru’s mind.

-

“....ka….. Haruka…. Haruka-chan, wake up.”  
Haru woke with a bit of a start and looked around before screwing his eyes shut. “Nh,”  
“Are you alright, Haruka-chan?”  
“Mm, lay off the -chan,” He mumbled making Narumi smile.  
He gently rubbed Haru’s thigh as his hand was currently resting there. “Are you okay?”  
“Yeah, just got a bit of a headache.”  
“We’ll get you some medicine inside. Come on Haruka-kun.” He removed his hand and stepped out of the car and Haru followed, stepping into the bright light, shielding his eyes for a moment.  
“Welcome to Gakuen Alice Haruka-kun.”

He stared at his surroundings, never having seen anything this big or fancy before and allowed himself to be lead by Narumi inside.  
Haru kept his gaze down, half listening to Narumi as he was lead down the hallways, ignoring the whispers and stares that followed him. He briefly zoned in when it came time to go through the motions, dealing with all the paperwork and such before he was lead to his class. He couldn’t help but try and work out why he had a nagging feeling in the back of his head, like something was missing. The feeling only grew when he entered his class. 

“Please, tell us a bit about yourself Nanase-kun.” The teacher, Misaki-sensei, said.   
Haru remained silent, like he was waiting for something and when nothing happened, he cast a brief glance to his side and was a bit startled to see no one was there. ‘...... Who’s missing from this picture..?’ he thought, trying to find out why the space seemed so empty as he absentmindedly toyed with the dolphin keyring in his pocket before his name was called again. “Ah, sorry. I am Nanase Haruka, I have a girl’s name, but I am a boy,” he started in his usual monotone voice before a slight frown made its way onto his face, wondering where that name comment came from.

Brushing it off, he continued. “I come from Iwatobi. I lived with my grandmother until I was 10 and I have been living on my own ever since. I love swimming and art.”  
When it was clear he wasn’t going to say anymore, that’s when the comments broke out.  
“A country boy huh?”  
“He’s cute.”  
“Nanase-kun are you single?”  
“What’s your alice?” That got everyone’s attention.  
“Oh yeah, hey tell us,”

They started speculating and while Haru was a bit overwhelmed, it didn’t show. “N-.... Yes, I am single,” he said, frowning again slightly.  
There was a few squeals and whispers among the girls and even a few guys nodded to themselves.  
“And my alice…. My alice is waterbending.”  
“Can you show us??”   
He shook his head slightly.   
“Aw, why not?”  
“What class are you in Nanase-kun?”  
“..... Dangerous ability.” He murmured quietly and the class fell into silence.

“Um, well, please take a seat next to Akira Tonouchi. Tonouchi-kun raise your hand please.”  
A boy with long black hair raised his hand and waved, smiling at Haru.   
Keeping his gaze fixed on the floor he walked to the back where Tono was, trying to ignore the whispers.  
“Why’s he in the dangerous ability class?”  
“Do you think he could be someone like Hyuuga?”  
“Ehhh! No way!”  
“Why would they let another one of those in here?”

His grip tightened on his bag strap before he took his seat beside Tono.  
“Just ignore them.” He whispered to Haru. “We don’t get many people joining the dangerous ability class.”  
“I can tell.”  
He gave an awkward laugh. “A-Anyway, as you know, I’m Akira Tonouchi but you can call me Tono, Haruka-chan.” He said, offering him a hand with a wink.  
“Just Haru.” He murmured, taking his hand and shaking it.  
He chuckled slightly. “So, a waterbender huh?”  
He nodded.  
“That’s pretty cool. I’ve got an amplification alice and I’m in the special class.”  
“Amplification alice?”  
He nodded. “I can make other people’s alice’s stronger so I’m out of school a lot helping.”

Haru nodded again and went quiet for a moment before, “Tono,”  
“Yes?”  
“Um,” He beckoned him closer and whispered in his ear. “I’ve never actually used my alice before-”  
“WHAT!?”  
Everyone stared and Haru kicked him beneath the desk as he examined his nails, leaving Tono to take the heat.  
The young man gave another awkward chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, sorry.”

Haru shot him an unimpressed look as the rest of the class went back to whatever they were doing. “As I was saying, I’ve never used it before and I want you to help me.”  
“Oh, uh, um, okay, yeah sure.”  
“Thank you.”  
They talked for a while longer before the bell went and they had ten minutes before they had to arrive at their ability class. 

Tono talked to Haru as they walked around, about helping him with his alice before Haru suddenly tensed and then took off. “H-Hey! Haru!” Tono felt his face flush when Haru begun expertly stripping along the way making girls, and some guys, blush and squeal and there were a few nose bleeds. Tono relaxed slightly when he saw Haru was wearing jammer’s beneath but he was still panicking and very confused as he gathered his new friends clothes in a messy bundle before pulling brakes to avoid getting splashed as Haru jumped into the fountain.

He blinked a few times before sighing with a slight chuckle as he shook his head. “Of course. Come Haru, get out.”  
But Haru ignored him, a blissful and peaceful expression on his face as he floated on the water.  
Tono thought of how he could get Haru out of the water before he had an idea. “Hey, Haru, I can help you with your waterbending!”  
Haru opened an eye and looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.  
He knelt by the fountain and took Haru’s hand. “Okay, try.”  
Haru closed his eyes again. ‘The water is alive. Don’t fear the water and don’t resist it. Accept it and it will accept you.’ As these thoughts passed through Haru’s head he had idly lifted his other hand and made delicate twisting motions with it and surely enough, the water crawled up his arm and the water in the fountain begun following his hand.   
“... Whoa,” 

Haru’s fluidness and beauty as his hand moved with the water was captivating enough, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see him use it properly.  
But Tono was snapped out of his trance when Jinno stalked over. “Oh shit.” Grabbed the hand he was holding he hauled Haru out of the fountain.  
“Hey!” Haru looked genuinely pissed off at being disturbed and glared at Tono then at Jinno.  
“Tch, it’s always the new students.” Jinno muttered bitterly. “Nanase I presume.”  
Nod.  
“Undressing in such a vulgar fashion calls for punishment Nanase. It would do you good to read the hand book.”

Haru just stared at him which was starting to annoy Jinno further. “Come with me Nanase.”  
Stare.  
“Nanase.” He hissed.   
“No.”  
“Why you-”  
He stepped back in the pool and Jinno growled, raising his wand.   
Jinno struck at Haru’s turned back before Haru spun around and threw his hand out, the water following the motion. The water encased the lightening before striking Jinno with double the force, knocking him out.  
Rising his face, Haru took his clothes from Tono. “Thanks.” And he walked off, leaving everyone to stare at him as he left to the dangerous ability class.


End file.
